Tag
by shooting07star
Summary: It started off as nothing but a simple game but it took years before it ended.


**TAG**

**by: Junpei03 **

** a Prince of Tennis one -shot**

Disclaimer: Tennis no Ohjisama / Prince of Tennis does not belong to me.

Summary: There is only one rule when playing a simple game like tag..

* * *

Coincidence. It was purely coincidence that they met at the very place where they left everything they had together behind. He never expected to see her again, not after how everything between them ended . 

Now 23 years old Echizen Ryoma, Current #1 most in-demand Tennis Pro recognized by the whole world, was wandering around the streets of Tokyo on the night of December 24, Christmas eve. Having escaped the birthday celebration - slash- Christmas party his parents had organized, and is still currently happening, at their home, the young tennis champ savored the much deprived sound of silence that has now embraced him like a cloud. He has never liked parties or any kinds of celebration even when he was still a kid, struggling with his studies in the USA. He despised reunions, especially family- related ones for the simple reason that he doesn't like noise. Not to mention he doesn't exactly appreciate their relatives who kept on pinching and poking on his cheeks, until they turned the color of cherries and had swelled twice their normal size, raving about how big he has grown since they last saw him. _Che. Grownups _, he scoffed under his breath, the slight release of air from his mouth created a small cloud of white smoke, a testimony on how cold it still is despite the fact that it had stopped snowing hours ago.

He kept on walking, the snow on the ground emmiting a soft crunchingas he stepped on them, his pace unwavering. After all, it's not everyday that he gets to wander around without the usual fear of getting mobbed and harrassed by stalkers ( read: seriously, unbelieveably obsessed FANGIRLS) or by sneaky, camera carrying nuisances ( read: extremely persistent and annoying REPORTERS). Che. Mada mada dane.

He stopped infront of the building with the sign "Seishun Gakuen" written on the side. Seishun Gakuen, a place he formerly acknowledged as "school". Years has passed since he was last given the priveledge to enter and be known as a student of this particular building before he packed his bags and left the school and Japan altogether, flying back to the United States where he continued his life for the last 5 years. And now, he's back, yet again, and is standing infront of the metal bars of the closed gates of his alma mater. He shook his head slightly, lowering the bill of his white cap. Nostalgia. Damn.

A particulary chilly wind blew by, forcing him to pull is coat closer to his body. Exhaling through his mouth, he checked on his watch. 10:30pm. Still too early for him to go back. Shoving his hand back to his coat pocket, he continued his aimless stroll through the dimly lit streets. Soon enough, he reached the tennis courts where he and Momo used to play way back when he was still in Junior high. Momoshiro Takeshi. A faint smile crept through his lips as he remembered the senpai he first acknowledged as his bestfriend. The two had kept in contact even after he returned to the US. But probably due to the distance and their both busy schedules, the phone calls that was exchanged frequently at least twice a week, faded into short e-mails that was sent yearly or sometimes nothing at all. The last he has heard of Momo, he was engaged with his girlfriend of 6 years, Tachibana Ann, Tachibana Kippei of Fudomine's little sister. After that, he knew no more. He made a mental note to contact Momo one of these days for a small get together at the burger place they used to eat at all the time before. He himself was surprised to discover that the ancient fastfood chain was still alive but was pleased none the less. It was one of the places that he considered as a "Remembrance of his Seigaku days", one of the few memories he kept with him after all these years, along with a now worn out photograph of his former team mates.

He ambled along until his now tired feet reached a place that made him stop walking and stare. A place very memorable though not in a particularly pleasant way. The park. Not just any park but THE PARK. He pursed his lips together, a bitter memory passing through his mind. A memory he shoved at the back of his mind only to resurface again. A memory he never wanted to remember.

He made a move to go, ignoring how his feet were now protesting in pain, when something caught his eye. A lone figure, clad in not-so-thick winter clothes, was sitting on the bench beside the vendo machine. Looks like he's not the only one who's insane enough to leave the comfort of their warm, cozy home just to get a some alone time. Shrugging, he turned to leave when the person sitting on the bench shifted slightly before saying in a voice so soft he would have missed it if not for the deathly quiet surroundings:

"Happy Birthday..Ryoma-kun.."

The owner of the name that was uttered froze in mid-step, recognizing the voice of the stranger immediately. He slowly turned around and quietly approached the sitting figure, his footsteps silenced by the accumulated snow on the park's ground. Apparantly, that person was yet to notice that someone else was also in the park. Ryoma stood a few steps from the side of the bench, his vocal chords vibrating when he relased one single word:

"Ryuuzaki."

Coincidence. It was purely coincidence.

* * *

Ryoma looked on as Ryuuzaki Sakuno jumped slightly at the sound of his voice before twisting to her side. She stared at him in amazement and shock, her eyes widening more by the minute. He remained quiet, understanding her shocked reaction to his sudden appearance before her. After all, it's not everyday that you think of a person, only for that someone to materialize suddenly in front of you, as if stepping out from nowhere. As impossible as it may seemed, the unexpected has happened. The person she was thinking about is now just an arm's length away from her, pretty much the same way she appeared infront of him just when he was thinking about her. Yes, indeed. Echizen Ryoma was thinking of Ryuuzaki Sakuno, formerly known by everyone as his girlfriend. 

Silence reigned as he waited for her to compose herself, his eyes never leaving hers even for a second. Sakuno stood up slowly, not believing that he is indeed standing infront of her. She opened her mouth but not a single word was said, her mind taking an unexpected leave. She was left on her own. _Traitor_, she silently accused her mind. She blinked slowly, trying to see if her eyes, due to the cold weather, were playing tricks on her. When his image didn't dissipate, she lifted a hand and touched his cheek gently, feeling its coldness clash with that of her hand. She felt tears gather on her eyes as she smiled weakly at him. He's here. He's really here.

He remained emotionless throughout the whole event, resisting the urge to flinch when she touched his cheek. The bitter memory that he had momentarily forgotten, resurfaced again, making him lift a hand and bat away hers, in a gentle manner that assured to pain was inflicted. The slap on the hand, no matter how lightly it was done, was a harsh, jarring wake up call to her. She lowered her hand in a somewhat dazed manner, her watery eyes following suit. Nothing was heard for a few moments.

"What are you doing here." A statement said with a bored yet sharp tone. Not exactly a good combination. She bit her lip.

"B-betsuni." she mumbled out, still refusing to lift her eyes from the snowy ground. She could feel his eyes piercing through her being like lasers. She remained immobile, afraid that if she moved, he'll bite her head off. Sakuno heard him sigh in annoyance before shuffling slightly. She closed her eyes tightly. He's leaving, she thought, gritting her teeth as she forced herself not to call out his name once more. Imagine her surprise when she felt his hands grip her shoulders and gently push her down, making her sit on the forgotten bench behind her, before settling down beside her as well. Sakuno opened her eyes slowly and snuck a peek at the tennis champ beside her from the corner of her eye. He stared straight ahead, his eyes unblinking, his expression stony. Amazing what 5 years of absence can do to a person. His features are sharper, his greenish black hair a bit longer and he's now a head taller than her. But even after all the physical changes he had undergone, she had this feeling that he's still the same cocky,arrogant and rude tennis genius who left Japan as a teenager, only to come back as a young adult. He's still the same prince that she adored. HER prince. She slumped slightly, realization making her stop her current train of thoughts. _At least he used to._

Ryoma could feel her eyes on him, no doubt checking out all the changes that has happened to his looks, yet musing about how she knew he hasn't changed the least when it comes to character. The same old Echizen Ryoma she first met on the train 11 years ago. He smirked inwardly. Same old book, sama old Ryuuzaki. She's still Mada mada dane. She herself had changed a lot when it comes to physical aspects. She's now somewhat taller than the last time he saw her, her hair no longer in those ridiculously long braids but is now a few inches below her shoulder. She gained a bit of weight, making her face look a bit rounder. It suited her, he thought idly, making a mental note to drop that hint later when he's done being cold to her. _If _he'll ever _be_ done. After all, he thought grimply, the last meeting he had with her isn't actually..nice.. considering how it ended. THEY ended.

"A-ano.."

He raised an eyebrow, glancing at her at the corner of her eye.

"When.. did you get back?" She asked in a small voice.

"Last week." Cold. Iced water cold.

"S-sou ka.."

They both sat in uncomfortable silence, the seconds ticking by as loud as a gong being hit repeatedly. The cold December night breeze blew by, chilling her. She should have worn thicker clothes, she admonished herself as she wrapped the scarf around her neck more tightly and rubbed her hands together , trying to keep herself warm. The next thing she knew, a black coat with the words "Addidas" written on the back, was shoved under her nose. A bit startled by his actions, she pushed it back to him.

"Iie. I'm fine. You'll be cold." 

"It's fine. Use it."

"Demo, Ryoma-"

"Use.It." He bit out, annoyance dripping like venom from his voice.

Wincing slightly at his harsh tone, she relented, wrapping the coat around her. "Arigato." she said meekly. She got a curt nod in return.

Again, silence.

As they sat there side by side, she felt desperation creeping up on her. The awkward setting was making her fidgety. There are things that has to be settled. That has to be talked about. They had put this off far too long. Now's the time. She's scared, yes. But she's taking her chances.

"Ryoma-kun?"

No answer. She continued.

"Are..you still-"

"Ryuuzaki." He cut her off.

"Hai?"

"Shut up."

She reeled back, slightly hurt at what he said.

"D-demo.."

"Shut. It. "

Her long string of patience snapped. She slowly stood up and glared at him. Years of waiting and longing for this moment has finally come to an end. She's finally given the chance to fix things that was left unsettled for a long time and he's just telling her to SHUT IT?

No way. No damn way.

"Iie, Ryoma-kun. You're far from stupid and you know it. We need to talk. You know we do.

Ryoma refused to take the bait.

"We _do not_ need to talk about anything."

"We do and _you know it_."

He stood up abruptly, towering over her. He stared at her, undaunted at the glare he was receiving. He scoffed slightly at the scared yet determined look on her eyes.

"I'm leaving." He muttered.

He had taken 5 good steps away from her when he heard her speak.

"You're still mad at me for leaving you."

That stopped him. Satisfied with the reaction she got, she continued, knowing that her words hit the main nerve.

"You hated this park because this is where I left you. You avoided me like the plague until it was time for you to leave for the States."

Still no word.

"Do..you want to know the reason why I did what I did and I said what I said?" He understood what she was implying.

"I don't." She chuckled lightly under her breath.

"That's why."

He looked over his shoulder,a look of confusion on his eyes. So small anyone would have missed it . Anyone but her.

"We never talked about what's wrong. What went wrong. Even if I loved you so much back then," she swallowed hard as her eyes watered, "I never came back even though I wanted to. You have no idea how much I wanted you back. You have no idea how many sleepless nights I spent regretting what I did. How many weeks and months you stayed on my mind, not letting me have even just one second of peace. How hard it was for me to look for you everywhere I go only to not see even your shadow. You don't have any idea because you didn't even tried to figure things out."

He stared at her, aware that she's far from finish. He was right.

"I..was so tired of always being the one to decide for us. I had to take all the burdens, make all the decisions and do everything to make what ever we had back then work. I tried to hang on. I really did. Do you still remember everything that happened the day I left you, Ryoma? What I said to you and what you said in return?"

_"Lets..break up. I'm giving up, Ryoma. On you, on us.."_

_"...Okay. It's all up to you."_

_"S-sou. I'm leaving now. See you around."_

_"..un."_

"I left you even though I didn't want to. I did that because I wanted you to do something, anything that would convince me that you wanted me to stay. That you value what we have. I waited for you to say what you really wanted for us. I wanted you to decide. But you just nodded. You did nothing.."

"If you wanted to have me back as badly as what you said, then why didn't YOU say anything? Why didn't you do anything?" He shot back at her. She gave him a small smile in return, tears falling.

"Why didn't you?" She asked simply.

His mind went blank. He didn't know how to respond. She smiled bitterly at him, shaking her head side to side. She waited for years to ask him that, only to get nothing in return. She bit her lip so hard that it started to bleed. She took off his coat and handed it back to him. Without a word, she walked away. She was about to leave the park when she heard his query.

"What was it that you wanted me to do back then?" She stopped and spoke, not turning around. 

"I tagged you. Yet you didn't do anything. You just stood there."

I wanted you to go after me.  
I wanted you to want me back.

Sakuno felt him approach her from behind.

"Ryuuzaki."

She turned around. He smirked at her and closed the distance between them. He tapped his fingers lightly at her forehead before saying the words she had waited for god-knows-how-long to hear:

"Tag. You're it."

He kissed the part where he layed his fingers on and smirked at her. He placed his coat on her shoulders before holding out his hand for her to take. Smiling genuinely at him, she took his outstretched hand in hers and they walked away.

_In this small game of tag, it had taken Ryoma years before he finally figured out that Sakuno meant. He ran with all his might, trying to see if she's still in sight. When he saw her, ran and caught her hand in his. Smiling, they ended the game and went home together. What he didn't know was that all this time, Sakuno had slowed down her pace so that when he finally realized what she wanted him to do, he won't be too far behind._

_-.owari.-_


End file.
